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Seryl I
Saint Seryl I was the Archbishop of Gilneas following the erection of the Greymane Wall and the Kingdom of Gilneas' withdrawal from the rest of the world. Born as Fenegan Nessing, Seryl I was known as one of the kindest souls that Gilneas had ever seen, serving as the bishop of Gilneas City for many years before his rise to Archbishop by edict of King Genn Greymane. This was done to keep the spirit of the Gilnean people high after they withdrew all contact from the outside world, and to continue the religious flow of the Church of the Holy Light in the region of Gilneas following their being cut off from the rest of the Church. History Born as Fenegan Nessing in 1077 F.A., Seryl was raised in what was once known as Arevass, modern Northgate. Little is known of his early years, as it was explained that he came from humble beginnings and became a man of the cloth a few years into the early reign of King Genn Greymane. Having moved from his home, he started as an abbot within the confines of Light's Dawn Cathedral, where he spent most of his days aiding the poor or delivering sermons of the light. His elevation onto priesthood came quickly, and he would often depart on missions across Gilneas to preach the word of the light. As devout as he was and as zealously religious, Seryl was noted as extremely tolerant of other religions. Believing Gilneas to be a region of many people of many walks of life, his sermons often preached understanding and peace between all peoples. When the Greymane Wall was erected and the region of Gilneas split into various diocese, Seryl was chosen among his peers for those who were placed forward to rise as bishops to rise above them all. Named Archbishop of Gilneas, he took the name Seryl (the name of a priest of legend) as his name and set out to continue the faith in Gilneas. Seryl's ascension was met with little criticism, as the man was truly the definition of a man of the cloth. He asked for very little, often being clothed in plain white robes, and as he aged he walked with the assistance of a long white staff. The staff would later be replaced when he was made Archbishop with a similarly crafted staff made of fine silver with gold rings at the top and base. It was said that all Seryl needed to continue his day was to bring the warmth and joy of the Light to its subjects, and he was known to sometimes go days without eating after being caught up in his border line over zealous religious worship. During the Northgate Rebellion, Seryl I remained within the Light's Dawn Cathedral even as the rebels sacked the city. He made a sole edict to the rebels and loyalists, that the fighting would remain out of the holy site and that any within would remain unharmed, loyalist or rebel. During the fighting, many men from both sides withdrew into the Cathedral, where Seryl saw to the injuries of both parties indiscriminately while urging both to remain inside and refrain from returning to the bloody civil war. During the Civil War, Seryl made many public appearances, even going as far to trek the somewhat dangerous country side to visit various small villages to spread the word of the light and promote words of unity and peace. His status as a beloved figure alone was enough to keep him from being harmed, as neither side would dare take the risk of his blood on their hands. Death :"What rapture it is to see our kingdom as one. Even in these nightmarish times, we are one yet again. It would be ill of me to leave it now as these brave souls give themselves for their kin. I can only hope to aspire to greatness as they, and thus I remain to support how I can." ''--Seryl's last recorded words.'' Seryl was unfortunately slain when Gilneas City was over run by the Worgen when the Curse of the Worgen ran rampant through Gilneas. Despite the urging of his beloved subjects and fellow priests, he refused to evacuate the Cathedral when the city was being evacuated, opting to remain behind with those who were willing to sacrifice their lives to ensure the safety of the rest of the civilians of the city. Reports were said that Seryl spoke with tears of joy in his eyes as he saw former rebels and loyalists working together to save the innocent, and that he would be forever wrought with guilt if he did not do his own part. Despite a hopeful search following the loss of Gilneas City, Seryl was not found amongst those who had been afflicted with the curse. It was not until after an expedition into the city that Seryl's body was recovered from within the Cathedral, several slash marks through his chest as he sat on one of the chairs in the upper Cathedral. He was found with a soft smile on his face, and his body was later put to rest in Aderic's Repose, garbed in plain white robes with his trademark staff beside him. To date, Seryl I was the only Archbishop of Gilneas, having reigned since Gilneas' seclusion from the rest of the world, a reign of over twenty years. The position was never filled as Gilneas later rejoined the Alliance, which made the need for a separate Archbishop invalid with the reunion of the church under Benedictus. The Diocese of Gilneas was later placed under the care of Bishop Melchiz Tzedeck, and could be considered the closest thing to a successor to Seryl. Legacy Seryl was an avid writer and reader, often writing edicts and his thoughts on the light and its teachings. Many of these musings were lost when Gilneas City was attacked during the Invasion of Gilneas and those that remain are usually damaged. Many of his teachings spoke of peace and unity, and he had made speeches following the end of the rebellion that he promised one day Gilneas would be united again. Seryl was notorious for his tolerance towards those of the Old Ways. Believing that it was ill to persecute others for their beliefs; Seryl instead preached understanding. During the Northgate Rebellion, Seryl was able to bring even those of the Old Ways to spread his message of peace in the fringes of Gilneas. Since Seryl's death, it has been seen that a large majority of Gilneans who take up the mantle of priests have followed in Seryl's footsteps, beginning their journey with nothing more than simple white robes and long silver staffs adorned with rings of gold on the bottom and top. They then set out on a pilgrimage in hopes of mirroring Seryl's compassion and reaching true enlightenment of the Light. A popular text among the Gilneas Holy community is that of the Trials of Seryl. It details several accounts of hardships that Seryl was forced to face in his life and as his time as archbishop. A blessed charm of Seryl's was found by bishop Melchiz Tzedeck as they prepared to rededicate the Light's Dawn Cathedral. It was used as the focal point for the purification ritual. Lineage Category:Gilnean Category:Human Category:Church of the Holy Light Category:Deceased Category:Characters